More Important Than My Pride
by death2fangirlz
Summary: "'Sasuke, I just can't do this anymore. I'm sorry.' Those words continued to echo through Sasuke's mind days after they'd been spoken...To hell with his pride, he needed the blond in his life, and he was damn well going to make sure the other man knew that." Sasuke x Naruto AU. 3-Shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Re-post**** of an old, and hopefully now improved, fiction from several years back. AU SxN fiction, 3-shot.**

* * *

'_Sasuke, I just can't do this anymore. I'm sorry_.'

Those words continued to echo through Sasuke's mind days after they'd been spoken as he poured whisky from a half full bottle into a tumbler, before returning to his sitting room with both glass and bottle in hand. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have just let the blond walk away like that? His eyes traveled over to the one picture which stood in his living room, his muted TV casting the glass in constantly changing light, blocking out the image which the clear sheet protected.

He sipped from the glass in his hand and let the taste of the amber liquid roll over his tongue. He loved the blond more then he could ever have admitted; but perhaps that was the problem. Maybe if he had just said those three simple words, the other wouldn't have left. But such a thing was easier said than done when it came to the young Uchiha. His whole life he had tried to harden himself to the world around him, ever since his parents had been killed. Now that he really needed to, he couldn't take down the shield which he had created to keep the world at bay. He pored himself another glass, swirling the liquid absently.

Things had always been so easy between them; so natural. They were polar opposites, Sasuke the hard, seemingly emotionless brunet, and Naruto the overly emotional blond who clearly wore his heart on his sleeve. Sasuke was never one to show his feelings so openly; he believed it to be a sign of weakness. He had hoped, or perhaps prayed, that the blond would understand his feelings; however some things needed to be spoken to be understood.

The blond had balanced him out, anchored him firmly to the present and the outside world which he had a habit of shutting out, and without that anchor he felt lost. He _needed_ the blond with him. He couldn't handle being alone again no matter how vehemently he attempted to convince himself otherwise. Damn his fucking pride! He has held to it so tightly since The Night, ever since he had lifted himself from the ashes of his family and begun to make a name for himself in the world. But what good was that pride doing him now? He scoffed and downed another mouthful of the burning spirit.

'_I can't be with you if you can't even admit to me how you feel_.'

He had tried to tell himself that he could move on, that he didn't need the other in his life, but he was clearly lying to himself (a fact that only made him despise the situation all the more). His eyes drifted around the room, landing on a small pile of letters on an end table beside the couch. Standing from his armchair the raven moved across the quickly darkening room. It was a stack of letters Naruto had sent him during the blonds' gap-year travels after graduating from high school. The other had uncovered them when rummaging through Sasuke's attic (henever had gotten an answer as to _why_ he had been doing so) a couple of weeks previously and had enjoyed laughing over the insult laden missives. The raven's eyes rolled over a handful of photos strune across the small table alongside the notes. Images of old school friends (a number whom he still remained in contact with nearly six years later) in various cities and in front of numerous landmarks, but out of all the face staring back at him the mop of bright gold over azure stood out prominently.

He closed his eyes against a dull ache that seemed to be building in his chest. He turned away from the pages and returned to his former position. Sasuke's eyes followed the alcohol in his glass as he turned it slowly, his gaze flickered to the television, then out the window to the painted sky before returning to his darkening apartment and the dancing shadows caused by the T.V.'s multi-colored lights. He set his glass on the table beside him and leaned forward with a sigh, elbows on his knees as he ran his hands over the pale skin of his face. Standing abruptly the raven moved to grab his keys. To hell with his pride, he needed the blond in his life, and he was damn well going to make sure the other man knew that.

The raven pulled to a stop in front of the blonds' house. He hesitated for a moment as he killed the engine and stepped out of his car with keys in hand, watching the still lit rooms behind the curtains. There was little surprise Naruto was still awake, it was hardly past nine o'clock. He closed the cars door, the dull thump sounding unnaturally loud to his ears in the silence which filled the sparkly lit street. In a handful of long, quick strides Sasuke was perched awkwardly on the Uzumakis' porch. He raised his fist and tapped firmly, three times, on the door.

"Naruto?" he called tentatively. For a split moment the curtains parted, just enough for the figure inside to peek through, before falling back into place. The door remained firmly closed. Sasukes' chest tightened nervously. "Naruto, please," he called again, "I need to talk to you. Please open the door." Several moments passed in silence before Sasuke let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in a soft sigh. He shifted uncomfortably, pushing his hands into his pockets as he glanced to the cloth covered window. Years of habit told him to simply leave, to protect his already scuffed dignity and pride buy walking away, but he shook those thoughts away. With another glance at the window he could only hope that the blond could hear him and was willing to at least listen even if he refused to do so face to face. "Naruto… I'm sorry," he began haltingly, the words awkward on his tongue. "I'm an idiot for what I said- what I _didn't_ say. But please understand, after everything that has happened in my life I just…" his voice had fallen to a near whisper by this point. He took a slow breath and let it out before continuing with a steady plea, a subtle mix of emotion coloring the gentle tone, "Please open the door." Uncounted minutes ticked by with no response and, with that painful ache returning to his chest in a dull throb, Sasuke turned from the door. As he reached the second stair the latch clicked behind him and the door was pulled open partway, spilling a streak of light across the wood and over the pavement beyond and leaving Sasuke in partial shadow as he turned to face a backlit and solemn eyed blond.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the first of three installments, leave a review maybe? **** The remaining two chapters will be posted after being thoroughly torn apart by the red pen of doom and painstakingly pasted back together (most likely late at night with copious amounts of caffeine from some source or another)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part two now up for your enjoyment (hopefully anyway)! Back to the start before we move on in the third (and final) section.**

* * *

Naruto lay on his couch, eyes closed as he thought over all that had happened over the last couple of days. He knew that Sasuke never expressed his feelings directly, of _course_ he knew that, but it would be difficult for anyone to never hear those three words, or even something remotely similar to them, from the person they loved. He had hoped that, after a time, the raven would open up to him; they had known each other since high school, after all, even if they hadn't started out on the best of terms. He had hoped that Sasuke felt comfortable enough with their relationship that he could properly express himself without having to worry about his self-imposed restrictions, but now Naruto couldn't help but feel that maybe he had been wrong. The fact of the matter was that they had never even officially asked each other to begin this relationship in the first place; it had sort of just… happened over time without either of them really noticing. It had just seemed so natural for them and they just wordlessly seemed to decide to let it to continue. But with nearly two years without a solid conformation from the Uchiha... Naruto knew that his feeling for the raven were real, but now he was forced to wonder if Sasuke had ever felt the same or if he had only gone along with things because they were already so close. But that wasn't something the brunet would do was it?

As doubt began to, once again, swirl the blonds mind, he was suddenly pulled back to reality as his cell phone began to ring. He slowly cracked his eyes open, debating whether or not to answer before reaching over and picking up the offending item from its place on the coffee table. Glancing at the caller I.D. he felt a slight smile begin to tug weakly at the corners of his mouth. He flicked the phone open, "Hey Hinata, perfect timing as always." Hinata and Naruto had known each other since grade school. Though the pale eyed girl had always been extremely shy, Naruto had gotten along well with her despite their drastic contrast in personality. He liked to think that he was the reason she had eventually begun to step out of her shell as they grew. Even though she would likely never be what most considered extroverted she could at least converse with others without the nervous stutter which had plagued her childhood. Though they now lived several hours apart, the two still kept in close contact. "You always seem to call just when I need someone to talk to." - "No, I'm fine but... I think things might be over between Sasuke and me," Naruto admitted sadly. "No. I don't think there's anything that I can really do. We've been together for a few years now, but..." Naruto paused, and then continued quietly, "he's never once told me how he feels about me, and I don't think that I can stay with someone that can't tell me that they actually care."

Hinata listened quietly as the blond spoke, and Naruto was glad for this. Of all the people he knew, Hinata was the one person that he could count on to listen to his problems without complaint, someone who was always willing to help him without expecting something in return, and that was just what he needed right now. "I told him how I was feeling. I let him know I couldn't keep going like this if he couldn't be honest with me- with _himself_... and he didn't say anything... I waited, but there was nothing... He just stood there as I walked away..." a single tear rolled down the blonds' cheek as he played over that moment again in his mind, Hinata waiting patiently for him to continue.

"I know that he's a proud person, and that's one of the things that I like most about him, but... I would have thought that maybe, just this once, he would drop that stupid mask of his and just be honest with me. I thought I meant more to him than that," another tear followed in the tracks of the first, "But I guess I was wrong."

Naruto swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. "Sorry Hinata, I'm sure you didn't call me to listen to me complain like this," he forced out a slight laugh. "What did you want to talk about?" - "No, no I'm fine really. Tell me what's going on with you." - "What? Really? Hinata that's great! That's what you've been working towered this whole time right? I'm so happy for you!" Naruto smiled slightly as he listed to his friend good news. The Hyuuga had been attempting to break into the world of professional writing as a novelist but had been largely unsuccessful aside from a handful of short pieces. The choice to follow such an unsure path had been huge for the girl as her father had strongly disapproved, but it seemed that things were finally falling into place. He was truly glad that things were going so well for her.

A nock on the door caused the blond to jump, sitting up sharply on the couch. 'Who could that be?' he wondered, glancing at the clock. He was about to stand when he heard his name being called and froze mid-action,

/"Naruto?"/

His hand inched towards the curtain, spreading the fabric hardly more than an inch to peer out at the dark haired figure on his porch, the voice on the other end of the phone calling his name at his sudden distraction. He let the drape fall back into place as his attention was pulled back to his previous focus. "Huh? No nothing, someone's just at the door that's all." He tried to ignore the waiting figure, ears listening for the sound of retreating steps which had yet to come.

/"Naruto, please, I need to talk to you. Please open the door."/

"Yes it's Sasuke," he replied, somewhat curtly, to the woman's question; really sometimes the girl was too perceptive for her own good, "But he didn't have anything to say to me earlier when I wanted to listen so why should I give him a chance now?" He curled into one end of the sofa, knees drawn to his chest, eyes clenched as the young woman replied, ~_'I thought you said you still care for him?'~ _"You know that I do, Hinata, but he needs to prove that he can make it worth my while and he just hasn't done that." Of course he still wanted to be with Sasuke, but he deserved to have a relationship where he didn't end up questioning whether or not his feelings where reciprocated or not. The wood creaked quietly outside.

~_'Naruto… I think you should listen to what he has to say. You know I don't agree with his actions but I do believe that he cares deeply for you, I just don't think he knows how to express that properly. I you still don't see a reason for another chance then at least you won't regret never having giving him the chance later. I'll call you tomorrow to see how things are. I hope things work out for you two. Goodnight._'~ The blond sat in silence as the dial-tone played for a moment before flipping the cell closed once more with a sigh, arm dropping across his knees. He rested his forehead atop his newly positioned arm while his empty hand rose to run fingers through his already perpetually messy hair. A frustrated groan escaped his lips as the ravens voice reached him once again, slightly muffled through the sheet of glass separating them. ''Stubborn bastard, just leave already!' His silent demands quieted, however, as the others words made themselves heard.

/"Naruto… I'm sorry. I'm an idiot for what I said- what I _didn't_ say. But please understand, after everything that has happened in my life…"/ Narutos fist tightened in his hair, eyes clenching firmly in an attempt to fight against the growing warmth building behind his lids. /"Please open the door."/

Was this really worth going through again? If things had turned out this way once, why would things end any differently a second time? Was it really worth it? Was Sasuke? The figure, which had been still throughout its dialogue, began to move away, slow steps crossing the short distance to the steps and beginning to descend. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe they were better off this way. Maybe…

"Shit." Naruto was off the couch in an instant, cell abandoned on the rumpled cushions. His face was dry as he opened the door. The cool night air caressed his still warm eyes, lessening the annoyingly persistent sting. A beam of light cut through the darkness, spilling over the pavement and the dark male before him as the figure turned back to meet the blonds gaze.

* * *

**The red pen demolishes another section (though perhaps not quite as gruesomely as the first 'chapter') but hopefully you enjoyed. Leave a comment perhaps? Final part may or may not be up sometime late tomorrow night but I make no solid promise either way.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**The final installment in my little story! Enjoy.**

* * *

Naruto stood with his hand on the door, eyes blank and face closed off as he took in the raven man standing partway down the stairs. An awkward silence filled the air and Sasuke shifted slightly, his eyes casting to the side briefly before he cleared his throat quickly, "Naruto," he greeted, mentally slapping himself for the ridiculous remark and its sheer stupidity. He suppressed a small wince at the toneless reply of, "Sasuke."

"Can we talk?" The blond simply raised one pale eyebrow, not moving to open the door any farther than the scant handful of inches which his body already filled. He seemed to be silently considering the brunet and Sasuke held his piece, waiting for the blond to speak. "I'm pretty sure things were made perfectly clear already, there doesn't seem to be anything left to say," was his answer.

Naruto knew that the Uchiha was honest in his intentions in coming here tonight, the man had made that clear just moments ago as he had been speaking to the open air, but he felt a perverse pleasure at the reactions his words brought, subtle though they may be. He wanted to listen to the other male, to hear him out and make things right again, but there was a haze of anger and hurt that seemed to fog these forgiving thoughts over. He loved Sasuke, he did, but there was an ache that persisted and reminded him of his reasons for leaving in the first place.

Sasuke met the crystal gaze that was hidden in shadows cast by the hall light, "Please, hear me out. Just for a couple minutes. If it's too late after that then I'll leave and accept your decision."

"I was willing to listen the other day but you said nothing. Why should I give you the chance now?" It was said in a near clinical tone, no regret, no anger or sadness, nothing; just a simple statement.

"Because I need to apologize and I know that I should have said something earlier. I want to try and fix this." Naruto's eyes were locked onto the face of the Uchiha, watching the other mans eyes. The dark pools had always been difficult to read but now the blond couldn't look away as the other spoke. There were emotions playing across the surface, he may not be able to pick out what, exactly, each was but the fact was that they were there none the less. This, more than the words themselves, was what drew the blond in. He took his hand from the door handle and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the door frame. The door creaked open slightly farther, the beam of light widening to cast itself fully over the brunet, chasing away the remaining shadows that had cloaked sections of his figure. Naruto raised an eyebrow once again, waiting for the other to continue.

Sasuke looked up into the other man's face, he had remained standing two steps down from the porch landing almost as though moving closer would cause the other to startle like a cautiously approaching fox, taking the shift in position as a good sign. He took a breath, seeming to steady himself, before continuing. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Naruto, that was never my intention. You know I care for you Naruto-"

"How could I know that- _really_ know that?" Naruto cut across the other. "The saying may go that 'actions speak louder than words' some things still need to be said, especially when the actions generate hardly more than a whisper." His voice had maintained much of its firmness but some of the hurt hidden beneath the surface was beginning to color the words.

Sasuke's eyes dropped from the blonds gaze, drifting over the ground rather than watch the pain begin to show in the cerulean orbs. "I know…" he whispered, he lifted his gaze, meeting the others eyes firmly, "and I'm sorry for not realizing it before now."

Naruto's eyes shifted to the side, his hands tightening against his arms. His jaw clenched. He wanted to listen, to take the other at his word and believe that things could work out in the end but still he hesitated. "I just don't know Sasuke…" His eyes remained fixed on the ground, not lifting to watch the other male.

The silence lengthened.

"If that's how you feel, Naruto…" the sound of rustling fabric followed the softly spoken words. Naruto's head rose sharply at the sound of retreating steps, "Where are you going?" He didn't know what made him ask the question, the words just rose from his lips without prior thought.

Sasuke turned at the base of the stairs with a wry smile, "I promised you that I wouldn't force my presence on you if you didn't want to listen. I will keep my word. Goodnight, Naruto," with a slight bow of his head the young Uchiha turned once more to continue walking.

The blond watched the other figure for a moment as he moved along the walkway. His mind was at war with itself. _/Go after him!/_ one side called, _/Let him leave, you don't need him!/_ the other protested. He grit his teeth, eyes screwed shut. His hands rose to tangle themselves in his hair, clenching around the golden strands and tugging at them, sending dull waves of pain through his scalp. He looked up, his hands falling to his sides. "Sasuke wait," his voice sounded so small but it was enough in the quiet of the street. The figure paused, half turning back to the apartment. "Just… tell me why…"

Sasuke shifted, his eyes looking out over the empty street and his hands found his pockets in a motion Naruto new was a nervous habit, though most didn't recognize for what it was. That damn mask, it was part of the reason for this whole mess in the first place. Sasuke seemed to realize what he had done a moment later and consciously shifted his position before he began to speak. "You know the story of my parent's deaths, about how they were killed and what happened afterwards. I had to shut everything out; I figured that distancing myself from my emotions I would stop everything from hurting." A humorous chuckle escaped him quietly. "I guess at some point it simply became habitual, I no longer had to think about it. The numbness it created became normal. In the end it seemed to help so I simply never stopper. I believed it made me stronger. I never needed anyone but myself and I prided myself on that." He paused, his eyes distant. Naruto remained silent, watching and listening. "Pride was something important to my father…" The raven shook himself slightly, drawing himself from of his thoughts. "Over time it just became more work to acknowledge my feelings rather than shut them out," a pause. "But after high school and throughout university I discovered that pride isn't everything, that emotion is needed and numbness is not a healthy option." He finally looked back at the blond. "You showed me that." His eyes traveled over the tanned face, trying to interpret the expressions which flickered across it; he looked away as he continued. "Changing something that I have been training myself to accomplish over so many years is difficult; maybe someday I'll be able to come to terms with everything but now…" He smiled softly, a true smile which hardly ever graced his normally stoic features, as he met the lighter males eyes once again, "You deserve better."

Naruto couldn't speak for a moment. He simply stood in silent shock, hands at his sides and mind swirling with the dark male's words, "Why are you telling me all this?" he wondered aloud, more to himself than to the Uchiha. "Uchiha never admit to weakness, everyone knows that." It was a true statement, everyone both within and without the business world knew who ruthless the head of the Uchiha family could be. They were not cruel but stood strongly on ceremony and tradition, especially while in the public eye, and this was something which Sasuke was expected to continue within his line of work. Sasukes soft, somewhat sad smile was still in place when he answered. "Because, Naruto, you're more important than that." With that quiet statement and another deferential nod, the raven turned once again and began to walk away.

By the time the meaning of the Uchiha's words was able to register with the blond the brunet had already reached the opposite block, moving to enter his car and return to his own residence. "Wait…" the blond croaked, his throat seeming to rebel against any words he strove to speak. As the other opened the cars door Naruto was finally able to force his body into action. "Wait!" he called, sprinting across the empty street and stopping before a clearly surprised raven. As the other simply gaped at him he felt a sudden surge of irritation rising within himself, "What the hell Uchiha! You think you can just say all that shit and then take off like some selfless hero? Like _I'm_ the arrogant asshole?" he nearly yelled, advancing on the still immobile brunet, one hand fisting in the other mans shirt.

"N-Naruto –" Sasuke stuttered, not understanding what could have brought on such a reaction. "I-" before he could continue he felt the pressure of another body against his own and the warmth of another's lips on his as he was pulled in by the front of his shirt. The kiss lasted for just a moment before the lips and pressure were gone. Naruto remained close, however, hardly more than a few centimeters between himself and Sasuke, forehead falling against the ravens shoulder while his fist remained clenched in the fabric of the Uchiha's shirt, "You're such an idiot," the blond whispered, shoulders shaking. Sasuke felt moisture beginning to dampen his shoulder when Naruto spoke again and the raven could only smile softly to himself, wrapping his arms firmly around the other and face buried in golden hair, at what was said. "Fucking bastard…"

* * *

**So there you have it. I hope you found this satisfying and if not, well, thanks for reading anyway. Honestly the red pen couldn't do anything with the original so it was scrapped and completely re-written from scratch. Leave a review mayhaps? Again,hope you enjoyed.**


End file.
